The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-10-13
ANOTHER CHATSW0RTH.
A RAILWAY COLLISION FOLLOWED
BY A HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST.

The Death Roll Includes Nearly Every
+. Passenger ON the Hl-Fatcd Train---Tor-
rible scenes During the Burning of the
Wreck.
KoUTs, Ind, Oct. 12.-The worst hor-
rors of Chatsworth have been duplicated
here. A dozen blood-stained, smoke-be-
grimed, injured victims of railroad care
lessness, or laundering, were brought
into the villages little station-house
early in the morning, and in the after
noon nine charred corpses, victims of the
same laundering or carelessness, We're
laid upon the station platform, while
three miles west, down the track of
the Chicago & Atlantic railway,
near lonely old water tank, piles
of fearfully tangled debris marked
the spot where a collision, seldom
equaled for terrible results had occurred.
According to the best estimate obtaina-
ble-for only an estimate was possible
fully thirty human lives had been sacri
feed outright and half that number of
persons had suffered injuries more or less
serious. The east-bound train from Chi
cago had, without moments warning,
during a temporary wait, been smashed
into by heavily-loaded fast freight
plunging madly forward in the darkness.
The massive framework of the sleeper
was transformed into huge catapult,
pushed mercilessly forward by the
freight. 1t crushed into the cars forward,
smashing their comparatively light tim
Der and making the work of destruction
complete. The wreck very quickly
took fire and the sight of the
shrieking victims and dancing
flames was one never to be forgotten.
The engine of the freight plunged so far
into the rear Pullman that its upper
works dropped off in the center of the
coach. The conclusion drove the heavy
sleeper into the day coach, which was re-
duced to splinters. The platforms of ev-
cry car were torn away, and thus
wrecked. The ends of each coach were
broken like egg-shells. The cars of the
freight train were hurled in every direc-
ton. The upper works of the en-
CINE were torn away and the
tender thrown across the track.
The fire ilumiuatedthe sky for miles
around, and startled the farmers, who had
not yet gone to bed. Through the rain and
mud the rescuers came. Meantime the
crews of both trains, who had escaped
with but slight injuries, were hard at
work, dragging the helpless passengers
from their blazing prisons. Nearly all
were found to have been hurled to the
front end of the coaches, where they
were pinned and crushed by the heavy
timbers and irons of the platforms The
railroad officials claim there were but
twenty passengers on the train, but the
rescuers declared that the screams and
appeals for aid came from double that
number of human beings. The Pull
mans, although the first to receive the
shock, did not leave the track, but burned
where they stood. So far as known not
life was lost in these coaches. There were
but few persons in the berths, and al
though all were hurled one upon the
other, all escaped through the windows
before the flames burst through the floor
ing. 1t was in the day coach that the
smashed to atoms. The sides and roof
shot into the air and then came down on
the score or more of human beings who
was Bohemian family named Weller in
this illfated coach, father, mother,
two daughters and two sons. When the
heavy Pullmans drove the day coach
against the baggage-car the entire family
were hurled over the seats and driven be-
tween the ends of the two cars. Tha
flames moved up from behind with
fearful rapidly, The father and
husband lay dead with an iron rod
through his throat, but the rest of the
unfortunate family were still alive when
the trainmen sought to rescue them.
Everything was done to drag the children
from the pile, but without avail. The
fire crept nearer and nearer until cush-
ion of seat blazed up just above the
woman's head. The poor creature tried
to speak but no ineligible sound escaped
her lips. Then she attempted to pass
one OF her girls, q wee mite Of a thing,
whose white apron was stained with
blood, to the rescuers who were crowded
about the terrible scene. When the
woman saw that death YVES inevitable,
she closed her eyes as If in prayer,
and wrapping her only free
arm around the waist of the children
nearest her awaited the coming of the
flames. A middle-aged Irish lady who
was in the day COACH was caught under q
stove and thus imprisoned. She was
burned to death before the spectators.
DIR. William Perry, of North Judson, his
wife and little daughter, were all asleep
when the crash came. The conclusion
hurled them over the seats and piled
them with the other unfortunates at the
front end of the car. Mr.. Perry sue
ceeded in getting half Of his body
through one of the windows, but
the timbers of the roof which had fallen
down held his legs In a vice-like grip,
Below the doomed man lay his wife and
child. When they realized that their
doom was irrevocably sealed they
screamed frantically, and drove the father
wild with their piteous screams. An
other effort was made to drag the doctor
from the window, but wave of flames
drove the rescuers back ON the prairie,
where they watched the grey head drop
upon the window sill and finally dissp-
pear from view. When the flames had
spent their fury, the blackened and dis.
membered bodies of nine persons were
found in the ruins of the day coach.
The sickening pile of ashes and flesh
lay near the front end, although fingers
and even thigh-bones were picked up near
the center of the coach. This leads many
to believe that at least fifteen and per.
haps twenty persons lost their lives. The
wounded, who numbered seventeen, were
taken TO the village hotel, Without O
single exception all were wounded about
the head. The bodies of the dead were
taken to the village to await coroner's
inquest. The hatfu1 of bones, all that
remained of the Perry family, was res
In9yed to North Judson.
30 Tar as can be learned the following
persons lost their lives: DIR. Edward
Perry, Of North Judson, auditor of Stark
county; Mrs. Dr.. Perry, Ada Grace Perry,
Charles Miller, Of Dundee, Ill; Lena
Miller, Wflhelmine Miller, Fred Miller,
Minnie Miller, an unknown Irish lady,
burned beyond recognition, and an I'M
known man Of large build and clean
shaver.